"Set up board of trustees for Media Fund"

Information Minister, Fritz Baffour (second right) and stakeholders at the forum

PARTICIPANTS in a conference to outline modalities for the disbursement of the Media Development Fund (MDF) have suggested the formulation of a regulatory policy to ensure transparency in disbursement.

They also proposed the establishment of an autonomous board of trustees that would provide policy direction for the disbursement of the fund.

The board, they said, should also be made to appoint the fund’s administrator, so as to reduce direct political control over its operations.

The conference brought together stakeholders such as the National Media Commission (NMC), the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) and the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA).

The Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), senior media practitioners and communication experts were also in attendance.

The conference followed the government’s decision to ensure that the fund becomes operational by April, this year.

The fund is meant to improve the professional output of  journalists, provide media organisations with technical support and offer personnel adequate training, all aimed at improving their professional output and competence.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Mr Berifi Appenteng, called on the government to make sure adequate resources were made available for the fund’s operations.

He also advocated that media houses that made profit could also be encouraged to contribute to its sustainability, in a bid to avoid the over-dependency on government’s budget provisions, which he said might give room to possible manipulation and political interference.

While calling on stakeholders to closely monitor the activities of the Board of Trustees that may be set up to oversee the operations of the fund, Mr Appenteng also called for procedures for the fund’s accessibility to be outlined to ensure transparency.

A lecturer at the School of Communications Studies, University of Ghana, Ms Sarah Akrofi-Quarcoo, who delivered a paper on the sustainability of the fund, queried whether the beneficiaries would exclude the new media.

She also queried what funding options were available for the sustainability of the fund.

The chairman of the NMC, Mr Kabral Blay Amihere, and the General Secretary of the GJA, Mr Bright Blewu, commended the government for what they described as a welcome development.

According to the two, there is the need to cater for all aspects of democracy as is the case with the legislature and the judiciary.

They expressed optimism that consensus reached at the forum would  enhance the media’s performance for the for the general benefit of society.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Minister of Information, Mr Fritz Baffour, had said the overall objective of the fund was to ensure that it became beneficial by shaping democracy.

He said whereas the government was worried about the poor media standards, officials were committed to ensuring, improvement in the sector.

 Mr Baffour gave an assurance that the government would ensure an independent operation of the fund, saying, “The recommendations from the conference would be useful to the government’s efforts to promote a more independent media, in line with provisions in the country’s constitution that guarantees a freerer press”.

Present at the ceremony were the Deputy Ministers for Information, Messrs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and James Agyenim-Boateng.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Fri March 9, 2012